China To Launch New Crewed Mission Into Space This Week

AFP/APP

Beijing: China is expected to launch a new crewed mission into space this week, as Beijing takes steady steps towards its goal of putting astronauts on the Moon.

The Shenzhou-20 mission will blast off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China, carrying three astronauts to the country’s self-built Tiangong space station for a likely six-month stay.

The team will undertake experiments to further the space programme’s ambitious aims to place astronauts on the Moon by 2030 and eventually build a lunar base.

The country’s space agency said last week that the Shenzhou spaceship and its Long March-2F carrier rocket were transferred to a launch site at the remote desert base and would launch “at an appropriate time in the near future”.

Photographs published by the Xinhua state news agency showed the sleek white rocket perched on a blue pedestal festooned with national flags, pointing towards the heavens, with red-and-gold banners hailing China’s space programme.

“At present, the launch site facilities and equipment are in good condition. The functional inspections and joint tests will be carried out as planned,” the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said.

Authorities have not yet given details on the identities of the Shenzhou-20 astronauts or the work they will carry out.

Zhou Wenxing, a staff member at the country’s astronaut training centre, said the crew was “in good condition, precise in operation, and smooth in coordination”, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Sunday.